President Donald Trump is planning to watch the New York Knicks in the NBA Finals on Monday and fans couldn’t be less hype about it.
Trump — once a fixture at Madison Square Garden in the ’90s and ’00s — is set to return to MSG for Game 3 at the invitation of owner James Dolan amid a historic playoffs run that New Yorkers are embracing in person, at packed watch parties or via the chaotic scenes around the arena on game days.
And as the team heads home with a 2-0 lead over the San Antonio Spurs this week, fans on social media are asking if Trump’s planned attendance — along with the strict game day security measures set to come with him — is ruining “the vibe.”
“Regardless of who it is, this is ridiculous,” wrote Knicks Muse, a fan account, on Instagram in response to MSG announcing a “strict no-bag policy” and “TSA-style screening procedures” for those attending Monday’s game.
“Everyone else’s life has to be changed because one person is coming.”
“If I spent 15k on a ticket, there isn’t a chance in hell I’d take my shoes off to go through security,” read one comment in a nod to the nearly five-figure get-in price for the game.
“Nobody wants bro there,” read another comment.
Some fans have expressed otherwise.
“Hey, let him come. We’re going to boo the fuck out of you, bro. Like, let him come,” one New Yorker in a Knicks hat and shirt told MS NOW.
The Knicks wrote that fans are “strongly encouraged” to arrive at least two hours before tip-off “to allow additional time for screening and entry,” with the U.S. Secret Service noting separately there will be “hard street closures” around MSG.
Some social media users have recalled that Trump’s attendance has soured other major sporting events due to the heightened security.
Take last year’s men’s U.S. Open final, which resulted in a delay to the start of the match and led to frustrated fans stuck in lines outside even as play kicked off.
Trump, in remarks to reporters last week, noted he’s a “big fan” of the team and didn’t rule out attending Game 4, which is set to take place on Wednesday.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver defended the heightened security in and around MSG for Trump.
“I think the fans are very understanding of that,” he said. “I think they recognize that it adds to the bigness of the event.”